In the End
by Midgardian's Enchantment
Summary: The final events of Captain America: Civil War unfolded a little differently. In the End, this is all that we have left. Major Character Death.


IN THE END

SUMMARY: The final events of Captain America: Civil War unfolded a little differently. In the End, this is all that we have left. Major Character Death.

AUTHOR'S NOTE #1: Running through the MCU, I'm floored by just how much angst is thrown at Tony Stark. How much is a man expected to take before he just gives up? Jeeze.

In the end, they really should have known better. No matter how many times he had fallen, he was known for getting back up. Never one to give up on anything, it would still take him just a little bit longer to regain his footing after his 'friends' sent him to his knees rather than his enemies. Those 'friends' should have seen that no matter how he broke or fell, he'd still crawl his way back to his feet and put himself back together again. If he was missing a few broken and tattered pieces, no one ever mentioned it.

In the end, there were so many things that could have avoided it. If only they'd been there or trusted him to know what he was doing. If only they'd taken the time to thank him, or at least acknowledge everything (anything) that he for them. But no. He knew but a few friends and even then, in the end, those were gone too.

In the end, no one could really say they saw it coming. The world sat in shocked silence and it was rocked on its axis. It was inconceivable that _this_ was the final outcome. An alien invasion. A power mad AI. A Civil War. The Avengers were supposed to be heroes protecting the planet. In the end, they were the ones who damned it.

In the end, they were the ones who damned him.

In May of 2008, Anthony Edward Stark was taken captive by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan. It was here that he learned what it would take to become the hero known as Iron Man – including the cost of his friend, Yinsen. Even after he came home, the battle was only just beginning. His own godfather had betrayed him and meant to do him harm. Somehow he managed to survive.

In May of 2010, he believed that the one thing that was keeping him alive was now killing him. He pushed everyone he had left away, and prepared for the end. He made preparations for both Stark Industries and the Iron Man legacy to live on. Somehow he managed to survive.

In May of 2012, the sky above his tower ripped open and an alien invasion threatened all he held dear again. This is when he met the Avengers. He found a team. He made some friends. He alone flew a nuclear warhead into the portal fully expecting to die. Somehow he managed to survive.

In May of 2013, past mistakes caught up with Tony Stark. His family was in danger again. This time, it was personal. Happy, then Pepper. He was able to save them with the help of Rhodey and a kid in Tennessee. He was unable to save his bots. When the house went, Butterfingers, U, and Dum-E were lost below the waters of Malibu. This was the beginning of the end for Tony Stark. He could recover the bodies of his bots. Their personalities were forever lost. The Avengers never came. Somehow he managed to survive.

In May 2015, another crippling blow was struck. Together, with his team of Avengers, they took down the last HYDRA base and recovered Loki's scepter. One could argue that this is when he began to lose his mind. While trying to make the world a safer place – one where no parent lost a child (be it human OR bot), he created an AI bent on destroying all human life. When the dust finally settled and damages were calculated, the Avengers found themselves moving away from Tony Stark. He was mourning the loss of his lover and the loss of another son, forever lost to him, JARVIS. Somehow he managed to survive.

In May of 2016, a Civil War broke out among the heroes. Two factions clashing – both thinking that _they_ had to moral high ground. Friendly fire took his last remaining friend from before they'd become superheroes. Rhodey was paralyzed because he sided with Tony (with 117 countries). Tony went into battle on his own against the super soldiers. He had nothing left to give the man who had once been his friend and the man who killed his parents. He had nothing and no one left to go back to. Somehow he managed to survive so many other things before going into Siberia to help his former team mate. This time, he never made it home.

In the end, James 'Rhodey' Rhodes would never walk or pilot his suit again. In the end, Tony Stark would be laid to rest in late May, eight years after the world first thought him dead. In the end, the remaining Avengers would gather and mourn. In the end, Captain America would be charged with treason for the murder.

In the end, it was a threat they never saw coming.

In the end, it was Virginia 'Pepper' Potts in the Rescue Armor Tony Stark had built for her starting the fires that burned the world.

AUTHOR'S NOTE #2: I'm having such bad writer's block and I kept jumping around through my ideas I couldn't focus on one thing. Finally, I used a random number generator to pick a number from 0-143. If it was odd, I'd use a song, if it was even, I used a plot bunny. I originally got a song I didn't know how to use so I did it again and got a prompt to kinda go with the song lol.

Prompt #1: Breaking Benjamin – "Dear Agony"

Prompt #2: We could have saved the world. Instead, We'll burn it.


End file.
